MARKET FOR N.Z. LAMB

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27500, 6 November 1954, Page 8

MARKET FOR N.Z. LAMB

OPTIMISTIC VIEW OF MEAT EXPORT EXTRA SALES POSSIBLE IN BRITAIN AND CANADA (New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, November 5. New Zealand could place an additional 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 lambs on the British market without difficulty, and Canada could absorb possibly half a million, said Mr N. A. Thomson, general manager of the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company, who returned recently after spending four months studying meat marketing trends overseas.

Mr Thomson told sheepfarmers at Southdown today that he had returned full of optimism for the future of New Zealand farming in spite, of the gloomy forecasts being made by some politicians. The New Zealand farmer, he said) had nothing to worry about in his export markets for both meat and dairy products. "The demand for New Zealand lamb in Britain is so great that it does not have to be sold/' he said. "Retailers are having to ration it to their customers.”

New Zealand meat producers should start out immediately to increase their lamb production to take up the slack on the British market. Mr Thomson said he would have preferred to see New Zealand lamb selling in Britain at 2s or 2s Id a pound, instead of 2s 6d, but even at this figure every pound of it was being eagerly sought. Canadian Market From discussion with distributors and super-markets in Canada, he had gained the impression that at 2s or so a pound, between 300,000 and 500,000 New Zealand lambs could be marketed there without difficulty. "The principals of super-markets actually said that our frozen lamb suited them better than the fresh lamb received from other sources,” said Mr Thomson. "One said he would prefer to handle New Zealand frozen lamb every week of the year because he could gear his selling activity to that class of product.’’ One of the urgent problems the meat industry in New Zealand had to tackle was the shipment of chilled beef to Britain. "Generally our chilled beef is not arriving on the Smithfield market in good condition because of the length of time from killing to delivery,” he said. “Some of the shipments I saw would only hang for three hours before turning a horrible grey colour." Butter and Margarine Mr Thomson said there was more talk in New Zealand about butter versus margarine than there was in Britain. The margarine manufacturers had not succeeded in getting their brands well established on the market. Housewives were finding that margarine did not possess the keeping qualities of butter, and the product was getting a bad name. A new brand of margarine was coming out and was expected to sell not at Is lOd a pound, but at 2s 3d a pound. Meanwhile there was a ready sale for New Zealand butter at from 3s 8d to 3s lOd a pound. Cheese was in over-supply in Britain at present, but it was expected that within a year curers would resume their pre-war operations by which they bought New Zealand cheese, brought it to full maturity, and tli.cn re-sold it. This would help to absorb surplus cheese, and Mr Thomson felt confident that the supply position would be a great deal better within a year or 18 months.